Cursory Meaning: Review, Check, Examples and Quiz

Cursory (adjective). Cursory means done quickly with little attention to detail. It commonly describes a look, check, review or examination that covers only the surface of a subject.

Example: A cursory review of the draft found a missing title, but the sentences still needed careful editing.

Pronunciation guide: KUR-suh-ree. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Explore the usage · Try the three-question quiz · Keep learning

Cursory review, check and examination

• A cursory review: a quick reading or assessment without detailed investigation.
• A cursory check: a brief check for obvious features or problems.
• A cursory examination: an inspection that does not go deeply into the details.
• A cursory glance or look: a brief look that gives only a general impression.

A cursory check might be an initial step before a fuller review. The word can also criticise a task that deserved more care.

Examples in everyday and study contexts

• I gave the instructions a cursory glance and missed the final step.
• The tutor’s cursory check caught an empty page, but she had not marked the answers yet.
• After a cursory look at the timetable, we chose a train and then checked the details.
• The article offers only a cursory examination of the debate.

In the last example, “only” emphasises that the treatment is limited.

Cursory versus brief and thorough

Brief tells you something is short in time or length. A brief answer can still be accurate and complete. Cursory adds the idea that details received little attention.

Thorough is a useful opposite: a thorough review examines the relevant details carefully. Hasty or superficial may be suitable alternatives to cursory, depending on the sentence.

Grammar and a common mistake

Use cursory before a noun or after a linking verb: “a cursory analysis” or “The analysis was cursory.” The adverb is cursorily, although “in a cursory way” may be clearer for learners.

Do not use cursory as a general replacement for fast. “A fast runner” describes speed; “a cursory runner” does not express that meaning.

Word origin

The word comes through Medieval Latin forms related to running and swiftness. Its modern use highlights hurried attention to a task.

Practise cursory: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. For the writing question, your own correct sentence is welcome.

Question 1

A reviewer checks every answer and explains each correction. Is the review cursory or thorough?

Question 2

Does a brief explanation have to be cursory?

Question 3

Complete with your own ending: “After a cursory look at the map, I…”

Keep learning

Compare these words next: Furtive meaning and practice and Profound meaning and practice.

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Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Cursory. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.